A cat spends nearly 30% of its life grooming
Ready for some more cat facts? Most of these facts not only pertain to domestic cats, but to their big cat cousins as well.
Last week I did a post on fun cat facts. I came across too many facts about our feline friends to include in one post, so here’s another list of trivia about cats.
- A group of kittens is called a kindle; a group of cats is a clowder.
- Cats are the most common pet in America - there are about 66 million cats and 58 million dogs as pets.
- Americans spend more money per year on cat food than they do on baby food.
- Cats walk on their toes.
- Domestic cats can sprint 31 miles per hour.
- Cats, big and small, walk by moving both left feet, then both right feet. This gives them speed, agility and grace. The only other animals to walk this way are the giraffe and the camel.
- A cat can jump seven times as high as its tail.
- A cat spends nearly 30% of its life grooming.
- A cat’s tongue feels rough because of thousands of hooked papillae on the tongue. The papillae serve two purposes - they aid in grooming, and also allow cats to thoroughly clean the bones of any prey they happen to catch.
That’s enough cat trivia for now. Watch for more in the future.
Photo credit: Beth VanHoose
August 21st, 2009 by Beth VanHoose | Posted in Cat Stories | Comments (0)
Cats average 16 hours of sleep per day.
Think you know all there is to know about cats? Here are a few fun facts about our furry feline friends that you may or may not know.
Most cats do not have eyelashes.
Cats cannot see directly under their nose. It’s true…I’ve seen Buddy go crazy when I give my cats treats, and one happens to be under his nose. He knows it’s there, but can’t see it, and has a fit until he finds it.
Cats have 32 muscles in each ear. Humans have six.
Because of the number of muscles, a cat’s ear can pivot 180 degrees.
Cats can hear better than both dogs and humans.
Cats have more vertebrae than humans. Humans have 15, cats have 30.
Cats do not have a collar bone, allowing them to fit into openings the size of their head.
A cat has 230 bones in its body. A human skeleton has 206 bones.
Cats have 4 rows of whiskers. The top rows of whiskers move independently of the bottom rows. The whiskers are used to measure distance.
Cats sleep an average of 16 hours a day. They sleep more than any other animal.
Cats are more active in the nighttime hours. Anyone who owns a cat knows this is true.
If you love cats, you are an Ailurophobe. Ailurophilia is the love of cats.
August 17th, 2009 by Beth VanHoose | Posted in Cat Stories | Comments (1)
Buddy and Max are not popular names for cats
Most of you know that I have two cats, Max and Buddy. According to Petfinder, Max and Buddy are not popular names for cats. For dogs, they were the two most popular names in 2008. I couldn’t find a 2009 list of popular pet names, so I’m using Petfinder’s 2008 list. Their list is based on the names of the cats listed for adoption on their site, and is not scientific in any manner.
Petfinder’s Top 10 Most Popular Cat Names
- Lucy
- Molly
- Oreo
- Kittens
- Smokey
- Princess
- Shadow
- Tigger
- Angel
- Missy
These are all pretty much cutesy names. I’m not a big fan of cutesy names for animals. I prefer ‘human’ names, for lack of a better term, but that’s just me. Although sometimes, a cute name reflects the cat’s personality, or coloring, or demeanor. I have named animals cute names before based on this, such as the black cat I had named Midnight.
Sometimes I name my cats after celebrities, other names just seem to fit. Buddy is named for Buddy Holly. When we got Max, my ex-husband wanted to name him Holly, but I put my foot down. I was not naming my little boy cat Holly. I liked the name Max, so Max it was.
Growing up my cats were Sylvester, Tabitha (after the little girl on the TV show Bewitched), and Midnight. After I moved out on my own, I had a cat named George, after Kansas City Royals 3rd baseman George Brett, my favorite baseball player. While I was married to my ex-husband, we got Buddy. We also picked up a stray cat we found in a dumpster at a nearby car lot, and named him Otto (Auto.)
If you are looking for a good name for your new furry addition, you may want to wait several days before settling on one. Observe your new kitty’s behavior. When my brother’s family got a new cat, my niece proclaimed the kitten to be a little rascal, so they named the cat Rascal. Maybe you want to name your cat after a celebrity, or base the name on your cat’s colorings or markings, such as the all-black Midnight.
However, if you’ve adopted your cat from a shelter, try and keep the name he or she had there. This will prevent confusion on your pet’s part, as they will most likely be used to hearing that name when they are called or talked to.
What are some of the unusual or clever names you’ve named your pets?
Photo credit: Beth VanHoose
August 10th, 2009 by Beth VanHoose | Posted in Cat Stories | Comments (0)
Buddy in his carrier, moving across country
A little over a year ago, my husband and I moved from the Midwest to the Southwest. We, of course, took our cats with us. Which meant that we had to move them more than 1500 miles to a new home. I spent days – ok, more like weeks – worrying about how to move them. I mean, they hated the short car rides to the vet, how were they going to handle a ride across country?
The first thing I did was get them used to a harness. They are indoor cats, and they don’t normally wear collars. Even though they were going to be in carriers, I wanted them on leashes too, just in case. So, I went out and bought two harnesses and two leashes. I wish I had thought to have taken pictures of them the first time I got the harnesses on them, but I was laughing too hard.
Buddy was first, because if he saw me ‘torture’ Max first, no way would he have come near me. I got the harness on him with relative ease, and set him on the floor. You would have thought I’d set him in a puddle of glue. He laid down and would not move, even when I tugged on the leash. Max, being curious, had to see what I’d done to Buddy. So, I got the harness on Max and set him down. He did walk – or slink anyway – across the floor, but I don’t think there was any light between his belly and the floor. After I’d taken the harnesses off them that first time, they spent hours licking themselves and each other, getting rid of the cat version of hat hair (harness hair?) So much for the first harness-training session.
I put the harnesses on them every day, increasing the time every day, until they’d pretty much gotten used to them, or could at least tolerate them. They still weren’t walking well with the leashes, but they weren’t going to be doing much walking anyway. I just wanted a way to keep them under control when they were out of their cages.
Since they were going to have to ride in the cab of the moving truck with my husband and me, I needed some sort of cage or kennel that would fit on the seat between us. I couldn’t find anything suitable that they could be in together, so I got two soft-side, collapsible carriers that look like tents. These fit side by side on the seat, and had screens on the side so they got plenty of air, and they could look out and enjoy the scenery.
I also bought a collapsible dog kennel, and small, disposable litter boxes. When we stopped at night, we took the bigger kennel into the motel rooms, fixed up a litter box and put it at the back of the kennel. We gave them food and water, and let them use the litter box. Then we clipped their leashes to their harnesses, and let them “explore” and stretch their legs, before putting them both in the kennel until morning.
It took us four days to drive to our new home, and the cats traveled very well. Most of the motels we stopped at were Motel 6, and had no problem with the cats. The last night, we stopped in Williams, AZ, at a little motel that advertised they were pet-friendly. Just to be sure, we mentioned when we were checking in that we had cats. They told us they didn’t allow cats, only dogs. Sorry, but that’s not very pet-friendly. So, we left and went down the street to the Motel 6.
My worries over moving the cats were unfounded, as they did extremely well. I was impressed.
Photo credit: Beth VanHoose
August 3rd, 2009 by Beth VanHoose | Posted in Cat Behavior, Cat Stories | Comments (0)
The not-so-crazy cat lady with Buddy.
Even though I have a couple of cats, and have had more than one cat for as long as I can remember, I’m not a crazy cat lady. I may have crazy cats, but that’s beside the point. I don’t like to be called a crazy cat lady either. Yet, non-cat owners tend to label cat owners, especially those who own multiple cats, as crazy cat ladies.
A recent Ipsos poll conducted by Tidy Cat surveyed 750 non-cat owners and 500 owners of multiple cats. In the survey, 58 percent of the non-cat owners perceive multiple cat owners to be “crazy cat ladies”. In addition, 75 percent of the non-cat owners thought multiple cat owners were homebodies, and 69 percent feel that we’re lonely.
And, according to the survey, 75 percent of multiple cat owners have smelly houses, 85 percent have furniture covered with fur, and 66 percent live in cluttered houses. These answers were given by the 750 non-cat owners who were surveyed. True, my furniture is covered with fur, but I do try to keep up with cleaning.
Of the 500 cat owners surveyed, 96 percent of them describe themselves as caring and loving, and 90 percent believe they are generous. Eighty-eight percent say they are well-adjusted, and 87 percent keep an odor-free home.
I know a lot of cat owners, and very few of them own just one cat. In fact, according to the survey, most cats live with one or more additional cats. And, of the cat owners I know, not one of them is a crazy cat lady. They, like me, are just cat lovers.
Photo credit: Ben VanHoose
July 31st, 2009 by Beth VanHoose | Posted in Cat Stories | Comments (0)
In the magnificent story, Life of Pi, author Yann Martel tells of a boy shipwrecked in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He’s not alone, however - a 450-pound Bengal tiger is shipwrecked with him.
Immediately you can tell that this story is no ordinary story - what circumstances would allow a boy and a tiger to survive on a lifeboat in the ocean for 225 days, together? A question that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the deep blue sea of thought this story encompasses. I’m ready to pick the book up and start reading it all over again - and I just finished it hours ago.
Yet on that surface, it’s full of remarkably detailed and distinctly specific information about cat behavior - what I like to call “cat-ness.” I petted my two tiger cats repeatedly while reading … as they slept beside me, purring (tigers, by the way only purr while breathing out, not breathing in, like domestic kitties do), meowing, snarling, crying for food…
…making eye contact with me, laying with their bellies on the cool floor, panting, puking, hunting bugs in the windows, marking their territory, constantly reminding themwho’s Number One (that’s me, of course - but you’d never know it with my two tigers).
All in all, Life of Pi is a very good read - for all the cool tidbits of tiger cat-ness as well as for the meaning the presence of a tiger in the story represents.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
July 16th, 2009 by Janet Muniz | Posted in Cat Behavior, Cat Stories | Comments (0)
Many cats seem to have a symbiotic relationship with shoes.
Some pee in their people’s pumps. None of my kitties has ever done this. Mostly, they stick their entire faces in, snout first, and sigh - like a female human slipping her feett into a fabulous pair of Manolo Blahniks.
It doesn’t matter what kind of shoe it is, really - flip flop, sneaker, dress shoe … male, female, child … leather, plastic - I think my kitties would be thrilled with Dorothy’s red slippers, if they were available. Although the red slippers are Dorothy’s, not mine.
That’s the key - the shoes must belong to me. My Sofie and Sam do not “love up” my husband’s shoes. They both prefer my footwear, especially the leather ones.
All this shoe fetish behavior usually occurs when my actual feet aren’t around, either.
If they are in mood for people feet, you can find them under the office desk, draped over my husband’s.
If his feet are in his shoes.
Photo Credit: by RBerteig
July 14th, 2009 by Janet Muniz | Posted in Cat Behavior, Cat Stories | Comments (0)
I have two cats. They are as different as night and day. One way they are different is one hates to be brushed while the other loves it.
Buddy, my oldest, absolutely loves being brushed. All I have to do is take the brush out of the drawer, and he’s practically begging for me to use it. I find this comical, because normally, Buddy hates to be touched. But he loves being brushed. Max, on the other hand, tolerates brushing only if he has to.
I use a wire-bristle slicker type brush. I thought for a while that Max didn’t like the wire bristles, but he still hates being brushed even when I use a soft bristle brush or comb. I find that the wire-bristle works better on Buddy, since he’s got thick, medium-coarse fur.
I brush Buddy a couple of times a week; more often if it’s shedding season. Although, since we moved to the southwest, it seems like it’s constantly shedding season now. They do still tend to shed less in the winter months, even though it doesn’t get that cold.
Buddy will stand still and let me brush every inch of him. He meows and nudges my hand when I have to stop and clean fur out of the bristles. He’d let me brush him all day, everyday I think. After I finish brushing Buddy, I let Max sniff the brush. Once he’s thoroughly sniffed every inch of the brush, and finally rubs his chin against it, I attempt to brush him.
Usually I can only get a small part of Max brushed, like the top of his head, or maybe his back, before he starts squirming. I’ll let him go, and run the brush over Buddy’s head a couple of times. Max’s curiosity usually gets the best of him then, and he’ll wander back and let me brush a little more. After a couple of attempts, he’s had enough, and will head off into a corner and glare at me. Then he’ll start grooming himself.
When cats don’t like being brushed, it’s best to do just a little bit at a time. Hopefully, the cat will warm up over time to the idea of being brushed, and will let you brush more area each time. Or maybe they’ll be like Max.
I guess a little bit of brushing at a time is better than nothing.
Photo credit: Beth VanHoose
July 13th, 2009 by Beth VanHoose | Posted in Cat Stories, Grooming Tips | Comments (1)
My cats are finicky. No surprise, right? I mean, they are cats after all. I have two, both males. Max is a 7-year-old brown and black tabby, and Buddy is a 12-year-old black and white domestic medium hair cat.
They love to eat. I feed them canned food once a day, in the evenings, generally around 5pm. I also have a feeder with dry food that is left out, in case something happens and we are late in feeding, or in case the cats just feel like snacking. Like clockwork, at about 4:30 every day, they start in with the harassing - the meows (that sound very much like “NOW!”), the jumping into the middle of whatever we are doing, afraid we are going to forget their feeding time.
Like I said earlier, my cats are finicky. They don’t care so much about the type of cat food they get, as long as it’s the right flavor. My boys will only eat fish-flavored cat food. Forget the poultry, the beef, the liver. It has to be salmon, or whitefish, or tuna, or anything else that swims. If we accidentally buy a can of chicken, and then, horror of horrors, actually try to give it to them, they will sniff it and walk away. Then, a few minutes later, one of them will return to their dish to see if the offending food is still there. If it is, either my husband or I, whomever is closest, will get the look. If you’re a cat owner, you know exactly what I”m talking about.
The funny thing is, however, they will eat poultry, beef, or liver cat food if it is mixed with fish. And, they absolutely love fresh chicken. They just don’t want that processed stuff. Actually, I can’t say that I blame them.
Photo by Beth VanHoose
June 25th, 2009 by Beth VanHoose | Posted in Cat Food, Cat Stories | Comments (1)
Finally. After months of procrastination, I’ve resumed my exercise routine. I’ve been walking every day now for over a week!
One of the benefits of walking is getting to know your neighborhood. Not to mention your animal neighbors. Walking outdoors on the street where you live seems to be of upmost interest to people’s dogs. They’re always “greeting” me somehow; some friendly-like. Others, not so much.
Yep (or should I say, ‘Yap?’), all the dogs what to know what you’re doing on their turf. Kitties are another story, though.
I now know who the cat people are in my neighborhood, because their kitties are lounging in their windows. Which are now open, by the way, because the weather allows it.
If I encounter a kitty in the window or on the street, I usually give a little greeting: a little air kiss, to let them know I’m a cat person, too. Some head straight for me, only to dart into a field at the last minute, teasing me a little. Some simply run as far away as possible, as soon as they’re spotted.
Occasionally, I meet a social butterfly, willing to let me give her a head scratch., which usually produces a purr. Friend for a moment.
And some simply watch me while I walk.
Photo Credit: Randy Son Of Robert
June 19th, 2009 by Janet Muniz | Posted in Cat Stories | Comments (0)
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